Extraordinary
by ikidyounot
Summary: The name Dorcas Meadowes has largely been lost to history, but she was an important piece of the war, someone who touched the lives of many, and above all, she was an extraordinary witch. This is her story. DM/RL.
1. Chapter 1

Note: So, I'm hoping that this will be my first full story uploaded to . This story will most likely be a Dorcas Meadowes/Remus Lupin story. Dorcas Meadowes has been mentioned all of one time in the Harry Potter series, but what really intrigued me was the fact that Voldemort had to personally kill her. It leads me to believe that she was an important piece of the war if Voldemort himself did the "honors." I see Dorcas as being in the same year as the Marauders and all that, and I think she's unique. Anyway, enough of my rambling and on to the story!

Disclaimer: Absolutely none of this belongs to me.

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The picture was old and faded, just a mere memory of better days. Alastor Moody's mouth turned down in a crooked grimace as he looked at the old friends and colleagues and comrades, many of them long since dead. He didn't know why, but he liked to carry the picture around with him. Perhaps to serve as a reminder of those who had died fighting so valiantly for a peace that had not yet come. Nearly every face represented some sort of tragedy. The Potters, both dead at the hands of Lord Voldemort, their son left an orphan to fend for himself. The Longbottoms, two promising young Aurors who were not withering away in the likes of St. Mungo's. Caradoc Dearborn, who'd disappeared a scant half year after this very photograph had been taken. Marlene McKinnon, who'd died very soon after the picture had been taken, along with her entire family. One beady eye drifted to the young woman who's arm was slung around Marlene. His magical eye whizzed about in no clear pattern, but his one good eye would never forget that face. Dorcas Meadowes.

Dorcas had been an extraordinary young woman from the start, and Moody remembered, somewhat sadly, that she had been his best Auror at the time of her death, despite her diminutive stature. Her small features smirked up at him confidently from the picture, mocking him. Her death, it had turned out, had been his fault. Indirectly, of course, but that couldn't change the guilt that had gnawed at him for years afterward, that still gnawed at him every time he looked over and saw Remus Lupin tiredly conversing with some of his old friends, smiling, but never really meaning it. Moody sighed. He'd been too eager to catch more Death Eaters. Things had been getting worse by the day and his most pressing concern had been keeping the Potters and their young son safely hidden. As the head Auror at the time, he'd had to make some decisions, but none had come back to haunt him so much as the one to send Dorcas Meadowes on her final mission. But she really had been a talented young witch.

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"But, Mom! I don't—NO!"

From inside the cheery little house in Cornwall, a small girl with black hair struggled as her mother tutted and pulled a ruffled, pink dress over her head. The young girl folded her arms once in the abhorred dress and pouted up at her mother, who shook her head.

"Dorcas, don't be difficult for your poor mum," she said, her English tinged heavily with a Japanese accent.

Dorcas grumbled something incoherent and pulled at the itchy material, but obeying as her mother motioned for her to sit down so that she could style her hair. For as long as she could remember, Dorcas had always hated dresses. They were just much too stuffy, and made it all the more difficult for her to run in. Every time her mother was somehow able to force her into one, she would go outside and play and return hours later, covered in dirt, her knees scraped and the hem of the dress in tatters. She was an adventurous child and no dress was going to hold her back, no matter how much her mother might like the garment. At this point, the older witch pulled a short, ebony wand from the pocket of her apron, pointing it at the long, straight black hair that Dorcas had always worn in a lopsided, messy ponytail. Almost at once, the tresses began weaving amongst themselves, twisting and curling until a pile of ringlets sat atop her head. The woman murmured something else and a pink bow slithered from the wand, holding the curls in place.

"Mum! I look like a poodle!" Dorcas complained, horrified. "Please don't make me go to London like this!"

"But, honey, you look like a little girl now," her mother said, smiling and winding her finger through one of the curls.

Suzume Nakasato smiled down fondly on her daughter. She had hoped her daughter would enjoy dressing up, but one could never help these things. Dorcas had taken after her father for the most part. Though, she couldn't say that she minded this so much. Dorcas was a living relic of the love she and Charles Meadowes had felt for one another. He had been a Muggle in the British Army, stationed in Japan for a short time for some training exercises. The two had met when Suzume had wandered close to his base, looking for magical plants. From then on, it had been love. When Charles had returned to England, he'd brought Suzume with him, but had died shortly after, of Tuberculosis. Her heart had been broken, but not quite 9 months later, little Dorcas had arrived and she, along with Charles's parents had taken care of her. His parents had been more help than she could have hoped for and she was happy that they all still lived together, so that Dorcas would know both sides of her family.

Now, however, the girl in question was pulling at the dress, looking fretful. Suzume couldn't help but chuckle softly as she watched the eleven year old. She had most definitely taken after her father. And, seeing the girl wouldn't relent, she had to concede.

"Fine, Dorcas, go change then," she said good-naturedly, shaking her head, but grinning all the same.

"Thanks, mum!" Dorcas shouted, bounding out of the room and up the stairs, nearly tripping on the way up.

"What's all that racket?" Aldon Meadowes asked as he poked his head out of the kitchen, newspaper in hand. His white moustache twitched as he saw the last of Dorcas running up the stairs.

Once up in her room, Dorcas all but tore off the pink dress, throwing it on her bed. Instead, she hurriedly pulled on some jeans and a faded red t-shirt. She crossed to the closet and dug around a bit before finally finding her pair of old-worn trainers, which she promptly pulled onto her feet. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, the girl cringed at her hair. Pulling the ribbon out, she flipped her head upside down, shaking it out. The curls came out easily in her silky hair and soon enough, it was back into its customary ponytail, leaning to one side, a few pieces falling out here and there. It wasn't perfect, but this always seemed to suit her quite well. She headed back into the hall, and then looked around, being sneaky. The coast was clear. Without a further thought, she hopped onto the banister and slid down. Though, she didn't slow down enough at the end, and so when she hopped off, her momentum took her straight into the front door. Luckily, she was able to catch herself against her hands and despite the loud bang, she was uninjured. Her grandmother came out of the kitchen at that point, eyes wide. When she saw her smiling granddaughter though, she put her hands on her hips, unable to keep a smile from her face.

"Dorcas, was that you, worrying your Grandma like that?" she asked. "No matter, I made breakfast, so come and eat something before your mum brings you to King's Cross."

Dorcas followed her grandmother into the sunny little kitchen, taking a seat at the wooden table that occupied one corner of the room while her grandmother served her some bacon, eggs, and toast. Dorcas smiled and thanked her grandmother before digging in. She hadn't thought she was hungry, what with being so excited for Hogwarts, but she supposed her appetite was bigger than she thought.

"You may want to slow down there, little one," her grandfather suggested, glancing at her over the top of his paper, his spectacles perched on the tip of his nose.

Dorcas, heeding his advice, put her fork down, her cheeks bulging with all the food she had in her mouth. She took a moment to chew it completely and then swallow before taking a large gulp of orange juice. She then finished breakfast, eating more slowly, though wanting nothing more than to inhale the whole plate and then apparate into London with her mother as soon as possible. Cornwall was a fair distance away, and so it was decided that tandem apparition might be the best way of doing it. But, soon enough, it was 10:30 and Dorcas hugged and kissed her grandparents goodbye, promising she'd write them. She then took her trunk in one hand, and her mother's hand in the other, and once Suzume saw that her daughter was ready, apparated them to an isolated alley outside of King's Cross Station. Dorcas shook herself, recovering from the unpleasant sensation of being squelched into nothingness. But, she didn't have time for that. Grabbing her mother's hand again, she dragged the woman across the street to the busting train station. She saw an older boy pass her, also carrying a large trunk, but with an owl perched on top, that was drawing quite a few stares and Dorcas turned to her mum excitedly.

"Look, mum! He's going too!" she said, her face lighting up.

Suzume only smiled as her daughter led them through the crowds of people, following the boy she'd seen. Dorcas then stopped, and watched amazed as he disappeared into the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Dorcas looked up at her mother in wonder.

"Is that what we do too?" she asked.

Her mother had been born and raised in Japan, so although she'd never attended Hogwarts, she'd read enough about it to know that it was, indeed, the correct entrance. She leaned down to whisper in her daughter's ear.

"Just make sure you don't draw too much attention. Lean back against the wall like you're waiting, but be careful not to fall."

Dorcas nodded and sure enough, when she pretended to lean against the stone wall, she found that it wasn't solid in the least, and she slipped right through along with her mother. What greeted them on the other side was a completely different world. A scarlet steam engine awaited, and all around them, children were saying goodbye to their parents, or greeting their friends that they hadn't seen in a long while. Dorcas took her trunk to the steadily growing pile in front of the cargo car and then turned back to her mother. Reaching up, she hugged her tightly and smiled a bit as her mum kissed the top of her head, telling her to write often and be good, and that she would see her at Christmas. Dorcas hugged her once more and then watched as she headed back through the barrier. She then turned and couldn't keep the smile off her face as she jumped onto the train, making her way through the crowded halls, looking for someone her age to sit with. She poked her head into a compartment that held 4 people that looked her age, a girl with red hair, a pale boy with black hair and mismatched clothes, and two other boys looking at the one with mismatched clothes half curious, half disgusted. Dorcas merely smiled, and moved on, seeing that it was full. The next compartment she came to held just one occupant, a round boy with a mop of blond hair and watery blue eyes. He looked up at her nervously as she entered.

"Hi, can I sit here?" she asked, smiling in what she hoped was a friendly way.

"Oh. Uh, s-sure," he stuttered, looking down at his hands.

Dorcas entered and slid the door shut beside her, taking the seat opposite the boy.

"I'm Dorcas Meadowes," she announced with a grin. "What's your name?"

"P-Peter Pettigrew," he said, looking up at her.

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Note: So, that's it for this chapter, and I really don't plan on spending much time on their younger years, but I figured it'd be a nice foundation of sorts. Hopefully you'll enjoy this though, and be sure to review to let me know that you're reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Note: So, I've decided to upload two chapters right off the bat! I'm feeling inspired at the moment and I do hope that anyone who actually is reading has enjoyed the last chapter. I realize that things are going slow at the moment, but they'll pick up a bit later. Thanks for reading! ^^

Disclaimer: Again, it's all JK Rowling's!

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"So, you're a first year too then?" Dorcas asked, though she was fairly sure he was. Surely someone so timid couldn't be much older than herself, right?

Though, Peter nodded a few times, apparently relieved that he wasn't talking to someone older than himself. Though, Dorcas wondered how anyone could really be intimidated by her. She hadn't seen anyone smaller than herself running around, and she was sure that she would be among the smallest of the first years, if not the smallest one of the bunch. Dorcas pulled her legs up onto her seat, and tried to initiate a bit of conversation with Peter. She asked him a bit about chocolate frog cards and then asked him if he played Quidditch, though at that, his eyes widened and he shook his head fearfully as if Dorcas had just asked him if he liked to go around torturing small animals for fun. A slight frown creased her forehead, but didn't last long when the door of their compartment slid open. In bounded a girl with long, dark hair and pink cheeks, smiling brightly.

"Oh! Good! A place to sit!" she exclaimed. "Oh, you don't mind do you? It's just that most other places are full."

Peter looked like he minded very much being stuck in a compartment with just two girls as company, but Dorcas smiled at the girl.

"Sure!" she answered, returning the smile. "I'm Dorcas Meadowes, by the way. This is Peter Pettigrew."

"I'm Hestia Jones," she said, grinning. "First years?"

Dorcas and Peter both nodded and almost immediately, Hestia launched into a discussion about the pros and cons of each house. However, she was very determined not to get into Slytherin as that's what her family wanted, and she had never liked them much. Dorcas thought on it a moment. She didn't know much about the houses, though she knew that there were four: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. From what she'd heard, Slytherin wasn't the best lot to get involved with, though Dorcas wasn't really sure about the others. She supposed she'd see once they got to Hogwarts. The train started moving, and Hestia grinned excitedly, nearly bouncing in her seat. Dorcas couldn't help but smile at her antics. And well, compared to Peter, someone who was a little more outgoing was nice. They hadn't been going for five minutes when the door opened and in stepped a skinny, but tall boy who looked quite tired.

"Hello, would you all mind if I sat with you?" he asked. "I'm Remus Lupin."

He offered them all a friendly smile. Peter looked more than relieved to have another boy joining them.

"I'm Dorcas Meadowes," Dorcas said, offering him a bright smile.

"Hestia Jones!" the bubbly girl grinned, waving from her seat.

"I'm Peter Pe-Pettigrew," Peter said, quietly, shrinking back into his seat at the attention focused on him.

"Nice to meet you all," Remus said politely, taking the last available seat next to Peter. "Would anyone like some chocolate?"

From his pocket, he withdrew a rather large slab of chocolate, breaking it into pieces. The others all enthusiastically took their pieces, happily munching on them and thanking Remus. He smiled and then folded the chocolate back into the wrapper, putting it away for now. Not long after that, they seemed to separate themselves, with Remus and Peter discussing what classes they might like to take(though this was mostly Remus speaking) and Dorcas and Hestia getting into an animated conversation about Quidditch and how they'd both like to try out for a house team next year. Dorcas thought she'd make a good Seeker, while Hestia fancied the Beater position. However, the two conversations eventually merged back into one, and by the time the woman with the sweets cart came around, they were all fairly friendly with one another. They each bought something from the woman, happily snacking on their sweets as they spent the rest of their time chatting. When it was announced that they would be there in 15 minutes, Dorcas and Hestia left to change, and Peter and Remus stayed in the compartment. Once everyone was in their school uniforms and robes, they returned to the compartment. They'd just begun to converse again when the train began slowing. It finally ground to a halt at Hogsmeade Station and the doors opened. Excited, they almost ran off the train.

"Firs' years, over 'ere!" a deep voice beckoned at the front of the platform.

Dorcas was much too short to see anything properly save for the sea of black robes, but Hestia jumped up a few times and led them in the direction of the man's voice. When they reached the end of the platform, they found themselves with the rest of the first years, gathered around an enormous man. He explained that he was the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, and that he would be taking them across the lake, as was customary. Dorcas walked with Hestia down to the little boats, while Remus and Peter hung behind them, still talking quietly. Hestia got into an empty boat first and Dorcas stepped in after her, tripping and nearly falling over, but Hagrid grabbed the back of her robes just in time, his booming laugh filling the night as he righted her. Remus and Peter somehow got shunted into another boat along with the two other boys that Dorcas had seen in the other compartment. In her and Hestia's boat were the girl with red hair and the boy who'd been wearing mismatched clothes. The girl immediately introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans," she said, smiling very prettily.

The boy spoke next, though he looked at them as if he distrusted them and his voice was low, as if he were trying not to be noticed. "Severus Snape," he said simply.

"I'm Hestia Jones," Hestia introduced, nodding happily.

"And I'm Dorcas Meadowes," Dorcas said, offering the two a smile.

The boy, Severus looked rather worriedly at the water and then frowned deeply before engaging Lily in a quiet conversation that neither Dorcas nor Hestia were invited to be part of. The two exchanged glances but then shrugged, picking up right where they'd left off in their Quidditch discussion. The trip across the lake didn't seem to take very long, and before they knew it, they had reached the shore, Hogwarts castle looming above them, all spires and towers. Many of the first years looked on in amazement, Dorcas, Lily and Hestia included. Severus appeared unimpressed and he and Lily broke off, walking together by themselves. Dorcas and Hestia continued to converse, though instead of Quidditch, they talked about the houses again. This time, however, they both decided that they would like to be in the same house, just as long as it wasn't Slytherin.

They reached the grand entrance of the castle, and a witch with deep green robes, spectacles, and her hair wound in a tight bun, greeted them. She instructed the students to follow her and then explained that they would be sorted before anything else. After this, she pushed open the doors that led into the Great Hall. Beyond her, the first years could see the room, filled with the long tables and dozens upon dozens of enchanted candles, floating above the tables. Dorcas also looked at the ceiling, as many of the other students were, noticing that it was a perfect reflection of the clear sky outside, only a sliver of moon visible. The sorting hat delivered its song, to the surprise of the new students and then McGonagall immediately began calling them forward. Though, it wasn't until "Black, Sirius" was called that Dorcas noticed one of the other boys from Lily and Severus's compartment saunter confidently up to the sorting hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it bellowed after being on his head for about 30 seconds.

The Gryffindor table erupted in cheers and he immediately went over and sat with them. Though, at the Slytherin table, Dorcas couldn't help but notice that a blonde girl with Sirius's same good looks looked very stricken. Dorcas brushed it off and watched through the rest of the sorting. Not too long after Sirius was sorted, Lily joined him at Gryffindor table. After a few more minutes, it was Hestia's turn. She gave Dorcas a brief hug and then skipped to the sorting hat, placing it on her head. It too, deliberated with her before finally calling out "GRYFFINDOR!" She looked relieved as she hurried over to the table, sitting next to Sirius. Remus got Gryffindor as well, and Dorcas then went up almost directly after him.

She put the hat on as well, and it dipped below her eyes so she could see nothing. And then a voice began speaking, oily smooth.

"Ah, one of the easiest sorting I've had in a while" the hat said inwardly. Then it bellowed out "GRYFFINDOR!"

Dorcas smiled and placed the hat back on the stool, taking the available seat next to Hestia and across from Remus. The rest of the sorting passed by in a blur, though Dorcas did notice that Severus had been sorted into Slytherin. Lily shot him apologetic looks the rest of the night, though Dorcas didn't dare turn around to try to see how he might be taking it. Instead she averted her eyes from what she felt like was something private and engaged in conversation with Hestia, Remus, Peter, Sirius and James Potter and Mary MacDonald, who'd also been sorted to their house. The food was delicious, but by the time the plates had been cleared of their last crumbs, Dorcas was full and quite tired. The Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, then closed the feast and dismissed them and there was a great clamor as students stood from their benches and filed out of the hall, heading to their respective common rooms.

The Prefects beckoned the first years to them and gave them a miniature tour of sorts, showing them the quickest way to get to the common room and giving them the password. After being shown the correct dorms, Dorcas and Hestia headed up together, choosing beds next to each others. Once they were both under the covers of their own beds, the lights were turned out. Though, Dorcas and Hestia talked, half-awake for the next ten minutes before Lily and Mary shushed them simultaneously. Dorcas and Hestia dissolved into giggled but sobered quickly enough and went to sleep.

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Note: So again, slow. But, I wanted to just introduce more characters as well as develop the friendships between people a bit. So, please review! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: As always, not mine! ^^

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Life settled into a day to day routine. The four boys who'd been sorted into Gryffindor became fast friends, with James and Sirius being the ringleaders and Peter and Remus tending to hang back. They seemed to take pleasure in pulling pranks on anyone they came across, but Dorcas noticed that they were particularly hard on Severus Snape. Lily would often admonish them and tell them to stop, but more than once, there were incidents that landed someone in the Hospital Wing. Dorcas and Hestia spent much of their time together, whether they were talking about Quidditch or the newest article in Witch Weekly. The girls were all good friends, but Lily spent much of her time with either Severus or Mary, and neither Lily nor Mary seemed to share the same upbeat, rambunctious personalities that Dorcas and Hestia possessed. But all in all, it was a good year for them.

Nothing terribly out of the ordinary happened, though Dorcas had earned herself a few detentions for walking around at night with Hestia when neither of them had been able to sleep. Before they even knew it, they had taken their final exams and were packing up their things for the summer holidays. Dorcas was bent over her trunk, rummaging around for a pair of jeans that she wanted to wear. Afterall, she didn't want to be in her uniform skirt and heavy black robes if she could help it. She turned around to ask Hestia if she'd seen them when said jeans hit her in the face.

"Oy, I should've known you had these!" Dorcas said, laughing and tossing a pillow in Hestia's direction.

The other girl easily swatted it away and grinned. "Well, you know, you said I could borrow them a few weeks back and I never got around to returning them," Hestia replied.

The two girls finished packing their trunks soon enough and then headed down to the Entrance Hall together, leaving their trunks with the pile by the huge oak doors. A few students were hanging around, but many had already begun to file down to Hogsmeade to get seats on the train. Dorcas and Hestia decided that they'd meet up with the others on the train and headed outside, into the warm summer air. Up ahead they saw the boys and looked at each other before sprinting to catch up. Hestia was able to slow down enough so that she only had to grab onto James to steady herself. Dorcas, on the other hand, kept going, crashing into Sirius, sending them both to the ground.

"Sorry, Sirius!" Dorcas apologized, gasping.

"It's alright," he said, smirking, but looking at her oddly. Dorcas looked at him too, and they both broke out laughing a second later.

After successfully disentangling themselves while the others waited, they all walked down together. Though, at some point, Hestia had hopped onto Dorcas's back and the two laughed as the much smaller Dorcas carried Hestia nearly the rest of the way to the platform. In good time they made it to the train and boarded, finding a compartment to sit in. There were 6 of them though, so they had to squeeze a bit. James and Peter sat closest to the window, on opposite sides, then came Sirius and Hestia, and then Finally Remus and Dorcas. They all talked excitedly about the summer holidays, talking about what they'd do and how they hoped they'd all be able to visit, or at least go to Diagon Alley together at the end of the summer.

The train ride passed all too quickly for them, but hours later, they were finally at King's Cross again. Filing off the train altogether, they stood on the platform for a moment before Dorcas and Hestia hugged each of the boys in turn, Peter blushing furiously when he was hugged. The Dorcas and Hestia hugged each other tightly for a few moments, pulling away and promising to write. After a moment, Dorcas found her trunk and somehow located her mother as well, giving her a tight hug before pulling away and smiling. She walked with her mother to the alley where they'd apparated before, chatting the whole way about her friends and all the things she'd learned at school.

Summer passed in a flurry of activity. The days were long and mostly sunny in Cornwall, so Dorcas invited Hestia over for a week and everyone else came up for a day or so, frolicking on the shore near Dorcas's home and just having fun in general. Soon enough, September 1st was upon them and Dorcas was kissing her mother goodbye again as she boarded the train with her friends. Early on in the fall, James, Sirius, Dorcas and Hestia tried out for the Quidditch team. However, there was only one Chaser spot and one Beater spot available, and James and Sirius got them, respectively. Dorcas and Hestia shrugged it off, promising to be back the next year.

Nothing eventful happened the rest of the year, though some of the young Gryffindors began to notice that Remus Lupin disappeared once a month. It was around this time that he began looking pale and sickly, though at the same time, he also became a bit more irritable, snapping at his friends on occasion. Though, he claimed that his mother was sick, and so they tried to be considerate of him, knowing it must be taking a toll on him.

Third year was upon them in no time. This year, Hestia and Dorcas did make the Quidditch team, helping Gryffindor to a few victories fairly early on. But, Christmas was fast approaching. They had all decided that they might like to stay at the castle this year, seeing as they would have it mainly to themselves. It was snowing quite heavily outside, and the Gryffindors, minus Lily and Mary, took advantage of the opportunity, staging a snowball fight on the grounds. Lily had opted to spend more time with Severus, much to the boys' dismay, and Mary was off studying with a few of her Ravenclaw friends. Shrugging it off, the others were outside, enjoying the freshly fallen snow.

"Incoming!" James shouted, whipping a snowball towards Sirius.

"Hah! You'll have to do better than that, mate!" Sirius shouted, easily dodging it. He finished packing a snowball in his gloved hands and threw it at James, hitting him in the arm. Letting out a bark-like laugh, he dove out of the way as James whipped another one at him.

Dorcas and Hestia laughed at the boys antics. But, they weren't laughing long. Sirius tossed one at Hestia, hitting her in the stomach, and James threw one at Dorcas, narrowly missing her head.

"You know what this means…" Hestia said, brushing snow off her coat.

"WAR!" Dorcas shouted, ducking behind a snow drift and taking up some snow in her gloves, packing it together to form a ball.

James and Sirius quickly found their own snow drift to hide behind and Peter and Remus joined them a moment later. Dorcas stood just as Sirius did, whipping her snowball at him and hitting his shoulder.

"Hah!" she said, laughing gleefully, before she had to dodge Sirius's snowball.

She ducked back down, joining Hestia in making more snowballs. A moment later, Hestia peeked out, throwing a snowball at Peter. It his him square in the face and he fell with an "Oof!" Both girls giggled. James hit Dorcas with a few in quick succession and she huffed, tossing a couple back, one hitting James and another skimming the top of Remus's head. The fight continued for another fifteen minutes before the girls just gave up and decided to tackle the boys.

"White wash!" Hestia shouted, dragging James by the foot and piling as much snow as she could onto him. Dorcas helped her until Sirius grabbed her by the ankle, pulling her down as well. She smirked at him and got up, tossing some more snow on him.

Hestia then moved onto Remus, chasing him around until she was able to push him into a snow bank. At this, Dorcas focused on Peter, who barely put up a struggle as she half buried him in snow. Once the girls had finished, they laughed and high-fived one another, looking at the Gryffindor boys, who were glaring at them good-naturedly. It was Sirius who recovered first and began chasing them back to the castle. They screamed and laughed until they reached the doors.

Having to open them slowed the girls down a bit and they ran through the halls, which were decorated with ribbons and streamers and of course, mistletoe. Sirius was able to catch Hestia rather easily and he shoved snow down the back of her jacket. Dorcas merely ran faster, being the quickest of the group. However, James was gaining on her and he'd almost grabbed her when they both stopped abruptly. They each continued to jerk forward, but were held in place by some invisible force.

"I can't move!" James said, struggling against whatever was holding him there.

"Neither can I," Dorcas frowned, also struggling to move.

Sirius looked up and chuckled. "Looks like you two got yourselves caught under the enchanted mistletoe."

James and Dorcas both looked up, and sure enough, it was hanging there, pretending to be all innocent. They then looked at one another and each made a face.

"I can't kiss you!" they said, in unison.

"I think that's the only way to break free," chuckled Hestia.

The two thirteen-year-olds looked around at their friends. Hestia and Sirius looked positively gleeful. Peter was watching dumbly, and Remus was looking bemused. They looked back to each other and sighed. Well, there was no getting around this then. They each closed their eyes and leaned forward. Their lips brushed the slightest bit and then they each immediately jumped backward. Sirius laughed at their reactions and Dorcas and James both looked at one another for a moment before they both blushed furiously. Almost immediately, Hestia pulled Dorcas aside, moving them ahead of the boys. Behind them, the boys crowded James.

"So, what was it like?" Hestia asked, eyes alight.

Dorcas shrugged. "It wasn't…horrible or anything. I mean, I suppose it was good. But, I don't even think of James like that."

"Well, at least now you've had your first kiss!" Hestia said, grinning.

Dorcas had to grin at her excitement as well. "Yeah, I suppose I have then. At least it wasn't so bad."

They both looked over their shoulders at the same time, and seeing the boys watching them, giggled before turning back to each other and whispering again.

"What do you suppose they're talking about then?" Sirius asked, eyeing the girls in front of them.

"Honestly, Sirius, what do you think?" Remus asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

James and Sirius exchanged a look at their friend's somewhat testy response, but Sirius continued anyway.

"So, what was it like then?" he asked, smirking. Sirius had already had his fair share of kisses, but none with Dorcas.

"It wasn't bad, I suppose," James said, grinning a bit. "I mean, Dorcas is a pretty girl and all, but I don't really see her that way. I like redheads better."

Sirius and Peter snickered at this, but Remus remained silent, absently picking at a patch sewn onto the elbow of his jacket. They all made it back to Gryffindor tower and changed out of their wet and snow-covered clothes, reconvening in the common room a little while later. It was getting dark out now, and Sirius and James sat on the couch in front of the fire, getting into a discussion about whether or not the Chudley Cannons would ever win their league cup. Hestia lounged on a nearby armchair, happily joining in on their discussion. Remus sat himself on the carpet in front of the fire, working diligently on his Potions essay, which was due after break. Dorcas and Peter played wizard's chess nearby, with Dorcas beating Peter quite badly. Everything considered, it had been a good day for the Gryffindor Third Years. They remained in the common room until very late, taking advantage of everyone being gone; eventually, though, they grew tired and retired to their dorms after a long, eventful day.

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Note: So yes, another chapter! I'm trying to include Peter a bit more and make him part of the group instead of just some sniveling little idiot that tagged along. I mean, clearly, he'd still be a bit of a weak link, but I don't think he'd be as inept as people might think. In fact, I see him as being pretty normal up until the last few months of the war. Anywho, please read and review! Oh, and I do realize that I completely skipped their second year, but like I said, it only really gets interesting as they get older, so I decided that I could forego that. Hope no one's too upset! I've also been working on adding more dialogue. This is my first fic, afterall, so I'm still learning the ins and outs of everything. Whew, this was a looooong note! ^^


	4. Chapter 4

Note: So, I checked my e-mail today and was VERY excited. I thought that no one was reading my story, but as it turns out, I know at least two people are, because two people are watching it! ^^ So, I've been trying to keep up a steady schedule with my updates, and I hope that anyone else reading is enjoying this too. And don't be afraid to review!

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me!

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Christmas morning dawned cold and snowy, though the Gryffindors couldn't say that they minded. This had been the snowiest winter they'd all seen and they were enjoying it very thoroughly. The boys were downstairs first, dragging bits of wrapping paper down the stairs with them into the common room. The girls, arrived a bit later after opening their presents and oohing and aahing over the gifts they all got.

"Took you long enough!" Sirius complained, getting up and glaring at the four girls as they filed down the stairs.

"Really, Black, we are not at your beck and call," Lily scolded, hands on her hips.

When James heard her voice, his hand immediately jumped to his hair, ruffling it more than it already was. He'd picked up the unfortunate habit sometime early on in the year, deciding it might impress Lily if he looked as though he'd always just gotten off his broom. Hestia and Dorcas had tried to convince him that this didn't work, and even went so far as to say it had the opposite effect, though James took no heed.

"Well, we have peace offerings," said Dorcas, trying to diffuse the tension a bit. She smiled at the boys and tossed nearly identical packages into all of their laps.

They quickly tore open the wrappings and exclaimed in joy over their gifts. Dorcas had just given each of them some candy, not really sure what else she could have bought for them. On one of the Hogsmeade trips, she'd gone to Honeydukes and bought them each some chocolate, sugar quills, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and a few ice mice. Hestia, knowing they enjoyed Zonko's had bought them trick wands and nose-biting tea cups as well as a bit of invisible ink.

"Oy, thanks, you two!"

"Yeah, thanks,Dorc and Hes!"

"Thank you."

"Thanks!"

At the chorus of thank yous, the girls both laughed and hugged the boys. Lily and Mary had sat down and were talking among themselves. Lily, as a rule, didn't really like any of the Marauders. She didn't mind Remus too much, and Peter wasn't bad either, though she could hardly stand James and Sirius. Mary usually stood by Lily, though, and so she wasn't part of the group much either. The boys gave them presents as well, mostly candy, though Remus thoughtfully opted to get them scarves. The girls hugged the boys once more, thanking them.

"So, is anyone else hungry, or is it just me?" Sirius asked, patting his rumbling stomach.

Hestia rolled her eyes but grabbed Sirius's arm, marching him out of the common room. Peter followed them, and then Lily and Mary. James followed Lily until it was just Remus and Dorcas left. Dorcas looked up at Remus and flashed him a smile.

"Be my escort to brunch?" she asked.

"Of course," he said politely, offering his arm. She laughed and took it, the two of them walking out of the portrait hole together. Inwardly, Remus was beaming.

Up ahead, Dorcas couldn't help but shake her head as James walked alongside Mary and Lily, clearly trying to ask the redhead out once more. Dorcas could hear Lily saying something very angrily to him, but James just persisted. And even further ahead, Hestia still had Sirius by the arm and they were laughing about something. Peter was with them too, laughing, albeit a bit more nervously, as if he weren't sure he should be.

"You know, I'm really glad I have all of them…even if they are a bit mental at times," Remus said, smiling fondly at his friends.

Dorcas looked over at him, surprised at his honesty. Boys weren't usually so…open. "I know what you mean," she answered, after a pause.

"Oh, and thanks for the chocolate. It's my favorite," he said, giving Dorcas a tired smile.

She found her cheeks turning pink and looked away, shrugging. "I guess it was a lucky guess then," she said.

In fact, it was not a lucky guess. She and Hestia had been in Honeydukes when the boys had come in. But, not wanting to be given away, the two girls had ducked behind a display of acid pops, watching as the boys perused the chocolate. She'd noticed Remus lingering in front of a certain kind of chocolate, but then he shook his head and left with the other boys. Dorcas had been hoping that he'd like it.

"Remus?" she asked.

He looked over at her, raising his eyebrows. "Yeah?" he answered her.

"Do you think you could help me a bit with my arithmancy homework later?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side a bit.

At her question he seemed to perk up, and he gave her a nod. "I'd be happy to," he answered her with a smile.

Dorcas grinned back and they reached the Great Hall. It was mostly empty, as to be expected. Though, what was most shocking was that instead of the 4 long house tables and the staff table, there was just one table. The professors sat, clustered near the front, two seventh year Slytherins sat at the end, apparently too wrapped up in each other to notice anyone else. Severus Snape sat by himself also close to the end, but far enough away from the older couple, and there were no Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws to speak of. The Gryffindors all looked at one another and shrugged.

James took a seat next to Professor Dumbledore, and Sirius across from him, next to McGonagall. Hestia joined Sirius and Peter sat on her other side, while Dorcas sat next to James and Remus took a seat next to her. Lily left to sit with Severus, who instantly brightened up when he saw her. James shot a look of pure loathing at the Slytherin, but then tried his hardest to ignore them. Mary hovered awkwardly for a moment before tentatively taking the available seat next to Peter.

"Ah, students," Dumbledore began, standing up and looking at them all. "Seeing as there are so few of us at the castle this holiday season, I thought it would be best to forego the usual house tables in favor of one that would allow us all to sit together."

He then smiled. "That being said, tuck in."

Sirius and James laughed heartily, and quickly did just that. Hestia rolled her eyes, but dug in as well. The others followed suit, piling breakfasts onto their plates. Remus turned to Dorcas, giving her half a grin and lifting his goblet of juice. She gave him a questioning look, but raised hers as well.

"Happy Christmas, Dorcas," he said, clinking the goblets together.

She laughed. "Happy Christmas to you too, Remus."

The rest of the brunch passed in good spirits. Professor McGonagall even seemed to have loosened up, but only very slightly and she had to admonish Sirius halfway through for eating far too much food. Professor Slughorn told them all some fairly funny though slightly off-beat stories that the boys appreciated, causing McGonagall to give him a withering look.

Dorcas and Remus talked amongst themselves throughout brunch. Of course they had talked before, but it seemed as if today were their first conversation alone, and they both quite enjoyed themselves. Remus was inwardly glowing when he was able to make Dorcas laugh and the two found they were able to talk quite easily about pretty much anything and everything.

The meal concluded and everyone went their separate ways for the time being. Lily and Severus went off alone, and Remus had to convince James not to follow. Instead, Sirius was intent on taking his mind off of her and he suggested they go back to the common room to play a game of Exploding Snap. James agreed reluctantly and Peter decided he'd watch, having nothing better to do. Hestia and Mary were intent on trying out Mary's complete magical make-up kit and Dorcas convinced Remus to go outside with her a bit. After they had each retrieved their jackets and gloves and put on some boots, they met back in the common room. Dorcas also wore the scarf Remus had bought her for Christmas, he noticed.

"Ready then?" the small, half-Japanese girl asked brightly.

"Sure," he said, putting his hands into his pockets.

They left the common room together, chatting amicably about their Transfiguration assignment due after the holidays. It wasn't long before they were outdoors and in the thickly falling snow.

"Come on! Let's go to the lake!" Dorcas shouted happily, running through the knee-deep snow as best as she could.

Remus couldn't help but chuckle at the trouble she had making her way down the sloping lawns and to the lake. Whereas Remus was tall, Dorcas was still a tiny little thing, and at the moment, she was all but dragging herself through the snow, just to reach the frozen lake. Eventually they got there though, and Dorcas turned to Remus, her cheeks very red from the cold.

"Think we can ice skate?" she asked him.

Of course neither of them had brought ice skates, but it was still equally fun just to slide around on the ice. Dorcas tentatively put a foot on the frozen surface, kicking away the snow that had accumulated there.

"Is that a good idea?" Remus asked, looking around worriedly.

"Oh come on, you know it's completely frozen! Besides it's not like we'll get anywhere near the middle of the lake," she said matter-of-factly.

Remus had to concede and he, too, stepped onto the ice, getting a feel for it. Though, not a moment later, he slipped and fell hard on his bottom. Dorcas stared for a moment before breaking out in peals of laughter. She laughed so hard that she fell too, and then Remus joined in.

"What a pair we make, hm? Can't even stand on the ice for five minutes," Dorcas said.

They helped one another up and then Dorcas moved back slightly, taking a bit of a running start so that she could slide across the ice past Remus. She skidded to a halt and turned around to face her friend.

"You try! It's fun!" she encouraged.

"I think I'll end up making a fool of myself," Remus said, shaking his head. Nevertheless, he mimicked Dorcas's movements from earlier and skidded past her, though toward the end, he lost his balance and fell back.

Dorcas caught him under the arms, but ended up slipping too, laughing as they fell again.

"Merlin, Remus, you're heavy!" she joked.

He blushed and quickly got up, realizing he'd pinned her beneath him. He then reached out a gloved hand to Dorcas, which she took, and he pulled her up into a standing position.

"Well, thank you, kind sir," Dorcas said, smiling.

"You're welcome, m'lady," Remus returned, grinning.

"Think we've had enough of the ice?" Dorcas asked him, rubbing her sore bottom.

"Yeah, I think we should stop while we can still walk," the tall boy remarked, grinning.

He helped her off the ice and they decided to venture a bit closer to the castle, just in case the snow got any worse than it already was. Once they were close enough, Dorcas stopped and fall backwards into the snow, startling Remus. He rushed over to help, but then realized that she was waving her arms and legs back and forth, making a snow angel. He shook his head at himself.

"Well, are you just going to watch, or are you going to make one?" Dorcas asked, remaining on the ground.

"Fine, fine," he said, falling backwards next to Dorcas, waving his arms and legs as well. They lay in silence for a moment.

"It's really peaceful out here," Remus finally said.

"Yeah, I love the snow. It makes everything so quiet and pretty. It's just really beautiful," she said, sighing and looking up at the gray-white sky.

"It is beautiful," Remus agreed, though his eyes were on the girl next to him.

After a few moments, they could feel the snow soaking through their clothes, so they decided it might be better to go inside and warm up now. They walked back to the common room together, and once they were on the Seventh floor, Dorcas playfully jumped onto Remus's back. He grinned and carried her the rest of the way, through the portrait hole and into the common room. Letting her down, they both went their separate ways for the time being. Peter watched, silently from his post on sofa near James and Sirius's Exploding Snap game. After a moment, he got up and followed his friend to the boys' dorms.

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Note: So, there you go! Hope you all liked it! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Thanks to everyone who might be reading! So, I'm still trying to get to 6th and 7th years, when most of the action will be happening, but I also don't want to be too lazy and just completely skip over their younger-middle years. After the last chapter, it's safe to say that there's a budding romance between Remus and Dorcas though. And possibly a bit of Sirius and Hestia? We'll just have to wait and see!

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Remus was lost in his thoughts, mulling the day's events over in his mind. He had been rather sore about James and Dorcas being caught under the mistletoe the other day, but then again, that couldn't have been helped, could it? And today…well, today had just been better than he could have hoped for. He'd been able to spend the whole day with Dorcas. He thought she was quite beautiful, yes, but before today, they hadn't spent any time alone. But, as it turned out, they had a lot in common, and he could talk to her easily. Slipping a dry shirt over his head, he smiled to himself, but was snapped from his reverie by the squeaking of bed springs.

"Oh, Merlin, Peter, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he said, grinning at his friend.

Peter looked sheepish. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Remus frowned a bit. "Is something wrong?" he inquired.

"Do you fan-fancy D-Dorcas?" Peter asked, blushing furiously and tripping over his words.

Remus was taken aback at his friend's bluntness. But, he answered him, truthfully. "I suppose I do…why?"

Peter picked at the scarlet bedding. "Nevermind," he said and stood.

"Do you fancy her too?" Remus suddenly asked, effectively stopping Peter in his tracks.

"Er…well, I…a bit y-yeah. She's the only girl who's ever been nice to me," Peter said, quietly.

Remus thought for a moment. He truly did like Dorcas…a lot. But, where would it ever go? He was a werewolf, and he knew that he would eventually have to tell her, if she didn't figure it out first. He was cursed, and most likely destined to be alone. As nice as most people seemed, he knew that the majority of them would go running as soon as they found out what he truly was. It was with a heavy heart that he turned to Peter and gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile.

"Well…then you go after her, mate," Remus said. Peter looked positively giddy.

"You mean that?" he asked, blue eyes alight.

"Er, yeah," Remus said, shrugging.

"Thanks, Remus, you're a gr-great friend," Peter said, before turning and heading back down to the common room.

Remus turned and sighed. A great friend. That's all he would ever be. Though, Peter did deserve a chance, at least. He was a good kid, even if he did seem to be a bit nervous. Remus finished changing and put a warm sweater on over his shirt, grabbed a book and headed into the Common Room. When he got there, Dorcas was already there, and she was talking to Peter. He could feel his heart sinking, but he gave Peter a thumbs up anyway and sat in a chair near the fire, opening the book so he could read.

The rest of their break passed in much the same way, with the Gryffindors spending much of their time hanging out and enjoying having the castle to themselves. Remus continued to spend time with Dorcas, though he gave Peter his fair chance as well. Afterall, hadn't he said he'd back off? School resumed eventually though, and everyone saw a bit less of each other. Winter faded into spring, the pristine, white snow giving way to green grass and flowers. And then of course, before they knew it, their final exams were upon them.

The exams were difficult, and most of them managed to pass with flying colors. Hestia, though, had trouble in Potions and Peter was barely able to scrape by. Academics had never been his strong point. And then came the summer.

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Fourth year was another story altogether. Though there had been distant rumblings of unrest, their fourth year was the year that the attacks began. They were few and far between, but it didn't stop the looks of worry that crossed everyone's faces when the news came. The Slytherins, though, looked oddly triumphant. At least, the majority of them did. It was hard to ignore their excited whispers, and this was the cause of a lot more tension and a lot more fights between them and the Gryffindors. Even Lily grew worried, and Dorcas saw her speaking with Severus in a pleading way on more than one occasion. Things were getting worse.

The dark wizard that called himself Voldemort was steadily gaining power. That much was clear. It had Dorcas worried. She wrote to her mother with greater frequency, asking her to be safe and to keep her grandparents safe. Afterall, they were Muggles and though Dorcas hoped it would never come down to it, she knew they would never be able to hold their own against powerful dark wizards.

In fact, Dorcas wanted to be an Auror, that way she could help others and be able to protect her own family when it came to things like that. She had always wanted to be close to her father, seeing as she'd never met him, and he had been a soldier, so Dorcas figured that an Auror would be a sort of wizarding equivalent. She began running. Of course, it probably wasn't the best idea for a fourteen year old girl to go running around the lake every morning, but Dorcas used to exercise to help her train. By the time she came in for breakfast, she would be sweaty and tired, but at the same time, she was growing healthier and stronger, things that she would need to be if she were to be an Auror.

Though the students weren't asked what they were thinking of for careers until their fifth year, Dorcas knew that this was it. The tiny girl wanted to be able to help others and fight for what she believed in. And she knew that the physical training would be brutal and exhausting, so why not start now? In addition to her jogging, she did other exercises too. Dorcas had never been chunky by any stretch of the imagination, but now her arms and legs were lean and she had small muscles. When Christmas approached again, she decided that she would give it a rest, vowing to pick it up again once the snow was gone.

"So, we're still going to your house for New Year's Eve, right Dorc?" Hestia asked, over breakfast on the last day of classes.

"Hm? Oh, right!" Dorcas said, snapping out of it. She gave Hestia a smile.

"I can't wait to have a wicked snowball fight," Sirius chimed in, smirking.

"Yeah, I recall that we have a score to settle," James said, looking pointedly at the two girls.

They exchanged glances and laughed, remembering their snowball fight last year which eventually dissolved into the girls whitewashing the boys.

"Remus, are you able to come? I know you said you had to check it over with your parents," Dorcas said, trailing off.

"Oh, yeah, everything's good," he said, flashing her a smile. The full moon would be December 29th, so he would still be a bit tired on the 31st, but it would be well worth it. Dorcas beamed at him, looking sincerely excited, and he felt his heart flutter. Across the table, Peter caught the exchange and frowned. Remus met his eyes for a moment and then shrugged and made himself busy with his eggs.

Breakfast soon ended and the Gryffindors made their way to the first class of the day, Double Potions. No one was happy about that, but they figured that they could at least talk to one another. And Slughorn really wasn't a bad guy, but the fact that they had that class with the Slytherins was enough to dampen their moods. They filed into the room, taking their usual seats. Slughorn came in a few minutes later, wearing robes of deep green with a santa hat on his head.

"Well, class, today as a special holiday treat, you will be working with different partners!" he said, jovially.

The answer was a chorus of groans and Sirius actually swore loudly.

"Now, now, get into the holiday spirit!" he said and took out his roster, pairing them off.

"Jones and….Privel," he said, pairing Hestia with a rather large Slytherin girl.

"Pettigrew and Mulciber."

"Snape and Meadowes."

Dorcas shot a glance at Severus Snape and saw him staring back at her disdainfully. She narrowed her eyes and grudgingly picked her things up, switching seats with Lily. She set her books down on the workbench and stared then watched as the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins were paired up: Remus with Wilkes, James with Rosier, Sirius with a girl by the name of Holbrook, who wasn't too terrible, Lily with Rookwood and Mary with Laura Yaxley. Slughorn smiled in satisfaction and tapped his wand on the blackboard where the recipe for a relatively easy potion appeared.

"Begin. You have the entire class period."

Dorcas sighed and pulled a small bowl of dried beetle's wings toward her, carefully measuring some out and then grinding them into a fine powder with a mortar and pestle. She had barely begun when the boy next to her spoke.

"You would be wise not to venture out to the far side of the lake so often," Snape said, working on chopping some roots into small, even cubes.

Dorcas nearly dropped the pestle and looked over at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. But he wasn't looking up. "What are you, bloody stalking me?" she asked, indignantly.

Snape snorted. "Hardly."

"Well, clearly you've been making a habit of tracking me," Dorcas muttered, grinding the wings with more force than was necessary.

"It's not like you try to hide it. Besides, things more dangerous than magical creatures lurk in the Forbidden Forest," Snape said, quietly.

"I hope you realize that you sound like a batty Seer," Dorcas said lightly.

Snape glared acidly at her, but she continued grinding the wings until they were very fine. She emptied the mortar into their cauldron and stirred 6 times, counterclockwise. Snape added the roots and their potion turned a satisfying purple. Slughorn noticed and headed over, looking pleased.

"Very nice, Miss. Meadowes, Mr. Snape. 5 points each," he said, smiling.

Dorcas smiled at the professor and then grabbed some lionfish spines, carefully breaking them in half to add to the potion. As soon as she put them in, the potion turned a fluorescent red. They were doing a good job and they worked silently together until Dorcas spoke.

"Why'd you warn me, anyway?" she asked, raising a brow. "I thought you were anti-Gryffindor."

"You're Lily's friend," he said, as if that explained it. Dorcas gave him an odd look, but made no further comment. They finished their potion the fastest and bottled a sample for Slughorn to grade. He gave them top marks, though Dorcas was glad when the class ended, as Snape made her feel on-edge.

The rest of the day passed in a blur and before they knew it, the Gryffindors were all preparing to head home. Dorcas and Hestia packed their trunks together, trading random articles of clothing every so often, giving back what they'd borrowed from each other. Once they were finished, they all met in the common room and walked down to the Entrance Hall together. Lily and Mary didn't join them, seeing as they still considered themselves to be on the fringes of the group, neither of them really liking the Marauders. Setting their trunks with the large pile by the door, they then began to head outside.

Peter worked up all the courage he had and asked Dorcas to hang back with him. She looked a bit confused, but agreed, shrugging, telling the others that they'd catch up. Remus frowned, sure that Peter was going to try something, but headed down the path with his friends.

"So, did you want to talk, Peter?" Dorcas asked, looking up at him. Peter wasn't tall, like the other boys, but Dorcas was very short, so she still had to look up to speak to him.

"Uh, Dorcas. I-I..Erm…" he trailed off, blushing before hurriedly leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.

Dorcas's eyes widened and she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him back. She took a step back from him, her brows furrowed.

"What was THAT?" she asked, rather shocked.

"I…er…I fa-fancy you," Peter stuttered, red as a tomato.

"Peter…" Dorcas said, frowning. "I'm sorry, but I really don't think of you like that."

She had only ever thought of Peter as a friend. Besides, when had he ever given her the slightest indication that he fancied her? He never flirted or anything of that nature. Granted, looking back she did notice that he would always try to sit next to her, but that wasn't exactly something that would cause her to think he liked her in any way that was more than platonic.

"It's uh, it's okay," he said, managing a weak smile.

"You'll always be my friend, Peter, and I know you'll find another girl you fancy," Dorcas said kindly, giving him a brief hug.

She then headed outside, leaving Peter to follow. Dorcas quickly caught up with the rest of the group and pulled Hestia aside so that they could speak in hushed tones. Hestia gasped and exclaimed rather loudly when Dorcas told her what happened, making the boys look over in curiosity. They eventually boarded the train, with Dorcas sitting at the window, Hestia sitting next to her and James sitting across from her. Peter was the last in the compartment and took the seat furthest away. Remus suspected that something had happened, and judging by the miserable look Peter wore, he'd been rejected. Though Remus felt bad for his friend, some small part of him rejoiced.

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Note: And there you have it! Sorry for not updating for a past few days. College started up again this week and I've been very busy, but I have Fridays off as well as the weekends! ^^


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